Title: Recalling the Best "Worst" Times
Author: Sirius
Pairing: R/J
Rating: PG
Summary: Jess is back in New York, thinking back on his times in Stars
Hollow. He hated it there, in that cookie-cutter town, but now it was the
only place he wanted to be.
I woke up with the sun streaming through my window in rays that crept between still present clouds from the previous night. My clock that sat on the floor by my bed was upside down but I could read the time, 7:56. To my knowledge, my mom had never come home last night, but I had been so exhausted that I wouldn't have noticed.
My shirt lay draped over the back of the chair that stood at the table in the kitchen and I put it on as I looked through the cupboards in search of something that resembled breakfast. I found a box of stale Cheerios and some milk in the fridge. Sitting at the table, my thoughts wandered as they had a lot lately, to Rory. My dream last night included her and as I chewed my stale Cheerios, a small smile crept up on my lips.
Wasting time in the apartment didn't seem like enough to sustain my sanity today so my feet found their way outside and into Washington Square Park. I took my book out of the back pocket of my jeans and opened it to the dog-eared page. My morning passed quickly and lunchtime was there before I knew it. I was nearing the end of my chapter and planned to leave for food then, but I felt her presence. I could sense she was there long before she had announced herself and I turned slowly when I heard her angelic voice.
"Hi."
"How ya doing?"
"Good, how about you?"
"Good. You hungry?" My stomach had not given up on me yet and I hoped hers hadn't failed her either. Plus, eating lunch would cut away at awkward silences that were inevitably going to take place.
"Starved." Thank God.
"I know a place."
I put my book back into its pocket and we set off in search of food. I wanted to reach out and take her hand, but something told me it wasn't the right time. She had come, and for that I was incredibly grateful, but her reasoning behind the trip hadn't been shared yet. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
Walking to the hot dog stand was relatively awkward, but not that bad. We were able to make small talk, nothing like we used to, but still, it was talking.
"I feel very urban today." She seemed very proud of herself to have traveled alone and to a busy city.
"Oh yeah, the plaid just screams urban."
"I think I look like a native." A native what?
"How well do you know Manhattan?" I figured it was the nicest way to tell her she had no idea what it was like to be 'urban.'
"I've been here a few times. We saw The Bangles here."
"When was that, twenty years ago?" Even though she's only seventeen . . . work with me here.
"It was a reunion and they were great."
"Yeah, they're okay." They're no Sugarcult, but not everyone can be.
"And a couple years ago Mom drove us in to shop, and she couldn't find a good parking place and all of the parking lots were a total rip-off, so she kept making U-turns and cutting off taxis and we were being screamed at in so many different languages that we just turned around and drove home and bought a Hummel at the curio store in Stars Hollow." Wow, I wish I could have seen that.
"How very adventurous."
"I'm just saying I'm no stranger to the Big Apple."
Hoo boy, she's got a lot to learn. "You are if you're calling it the Big Apple."
"So I don't have the lingo down yet, but at least I have the attitude." New York is about diversity, there's no attitude to have. But, I'll play along with her for kicks.
"You do, huh?"
"Oh yeah. When I was getting a locker for my backpack at the bus stop, there was this guy and he was just standing there staring at me and instead of ignoring him I just fixed him with a really withering stare." Withering, huh?
"That I've got to see."
"No." Aw, shoot.
"Oh, come on, let me see your withering stare."
"It's dangerous. I could hurt you."
"I've been hurt before." More than she knows . . .
"No."
"I'm disappointed." I fixed her with my best pouty face and puppy dog eyes but it didn't seem to work. Instead, I changed the topic. "So your arm's okay?"
"Yeah, it looks worse than it is." Then it must hurt like hell.
I picked up her cast and examined the stickers and writing that already graced it. "I like this Emily chick. Friend of yours?"
"She's a friend to all of us dispossessed." Uh, sure.
"So here's our lunch place." I stopped where the line ended and pulled my wallet out of my back pocket before she got a chance to say she'd pay. I knew Rory a little too well.
"A hot dog stand?" Uh oh, not good?
"Hey, I eat here everyday. It's nothing fancy, but-"
"No, I love it. It's perfect."
"Good." I got to the front of the line and said my order first, giving her a little more time to decide. "One with everything on it."
"Make that two, please." I liked the sound of that. Two, please.
"So, uh. . .how's-" This was not going to be a fun topic.
She's read my mind without me telling her. "Luke?"
"Yeah." I shrug to let her think that it's no big deal that I know about him. Like I don't care when really I do.
"Okay. He went fishing." Ha!
"Fishing?" That I had to see.
"Yeah. He didn't catch anything though."
"Probably used the wrong bait."
"Yeah, that's a common fishing blunder."
"So he's good?"
Rory smiled sweetly at me, understanding without letting it on. "Yeah, he's good. I can tell him hello for you if you want."
"Whatever." I shrugged again and took my hot dog from the vendor. She did too and she thanked him before we set off across the street.
"Oh, my God, this is really good!"
"I'm glad you like it." I smiled genuinely for the first time in a while and watched her as she got mustard on her upper lip. "So how much time you got?"
"I got a bit." I figured this would be the last time in a while that I would see Rory so I wanted to make it a memorable day. Even if I only had a bit with her, it would be our bit.
"There's a record store you should check out. It's run by this insane freak who's like a walking encyclopedia for every punk and garage-band record ever made. Catalog numbers. . .it's crazy. The place is right out of High Fidelity."
"Let's go." She seemed excited about it and she started off down the street with more spring in her step.
"Okay." I started off down a set of stairs, thinking she would voluntarily follow me. Instead, she looked nervous and stayed rooted to the sidewalk.
"Where you going?"
I pointed down the flight of steps to where it ended. "Subway." I said this simply to make it seem like it was no big deal, but she still seemed worried.
"I thought we were gonna walk."
"It's fifteen blocks. Come on, I think you'll like it."
"Do they allow hot dogs in the subway?" It was an honest question, I'll give her that, but that still didn't make it seem completely outrageous.
"You are so an out-of-towner." I smiled at her and she tentatively followed me down the stairs.
All of my flashbacks of the times we'd spent together over the past few months didn't compare to the day we had. It was the best day I'd had since I'd left. Hopefully I wouldn't screw it up.
(A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! I was going over some of my old unfinished stories and I saw this one. I liked what I had going so I cranked out another chapter. This one wasn't like the rest though because it was present tense. Next chapter will have flashbacks though. Thanks again for reading and please read and review! ~Amanda)
I woke up with the sun streaming through my window in rays that crept between still present clouds from the previous night. My clock that sat on the floor by my bed was upside down but I could read the time, 7:56. To my knowledge, my mom had never come home last night, but I had been so exhausted that I wouldn't have noticed.
My shirt lay draped over the back of the chair that stood at the table in the kitchen and I put it on as I looked through the cupboards in search of something that resembled breakfast. I found a box of stale Cheerios and some milk in the fridge. Sitting at the table, my thoughts wandered as they had a lot lately, to Rory. My dream last night included her and as I chewed my stale Cheerios, a small smile crept up on my lips.
Wasting time in the apartment didn't seem like enough to sustain my sanity today so my feet found their way outside and into Washington Square Park. I took my book out of the back pocket of my jeans and opened it to the dog-eared page. My morning passed quickly and lunchtime was there before I knew it. I was nearing the end of my chapter and planned to leave for food then, but I felt her presence. I could sense she was there long before she had announced herself and I turned slowly when I heard her angelic voice.
"Hi."
"How ya doing?"
"Good, how about you?"
"Good. You hungry?" My stomach had not given up on me yet and I hoped hers hadn't failed her either. Plus, eating lunch would cut away at awkward silences that were inevitably going to take place.
"Starved." Thank God.
"I know a place."
I put my book back into its pocket and we set off in search of food. I wanted to reach out and take her hand, but something told me it wasn't the right time. She had come, and for that I was incredibly grateful, but her reasoning behind the trip hadn't been shared yet. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
Walking to the hot dog stand was relatively awkward, but not that bad. We were able to make small talk, nothing like we used to, but still, it was talking.
"I feel very urban today." She seemed very proud of herself to have traveled alone and to a busy city.
"Oh yeah, the plaid just screams urban."
"I think I look like a native." A native what?
"How well do you know Manhattan?" I figured it was the nicest way to tell her she had no idea what it was like to be 'urban.'
"I've been here a few times. We saw The Bangles here."
"When was that, twenty years ago?" Even though she's only seventeen . . . work with me here.
"It was a reunion and they were great."
"Yeah, they're okay." They're no Sugarcult, but not everyone can be.
"And a couple years ago Mom drove us in to shop, and she couldn't find a good parking place and all of the parking lots were a total rip-off, so she kept making U-turns and cutting off taxis and we were being screamed at in so many different languages that we just turned around and drove home and bought a Hummel at the curio store in Stars Hollow." Wow, I wish I could have seen that.
"How very adventurous."
"I'm just saying I'm no stranger to the Big Apple."
Hoo boy, she's got a lot to learn. "You are if you're calling it the Big Apple."
"So I don't have the lingo down yet, but at least I have the attitude." New York is about diversity, there's no attitude to have. But, I'll play along with her for kicks.
"You do, huh?"
"Oh yeah. When I was getting a locker for my backpack at the bus stop, there was this guy and he was just standing there staring at me and instead of ignoring him I just fixed him with a really withering stare." Withering, huh?
"That I've got to see."
"No." Aw, shoot.
"Oh, come on, let me see your withering stare."
"It's dangerous. I could hurt you."
"I've been hurt before." More than she knows . . .
"No."
"I'm disappointed." I fixed her with my best pouty face and puppy dog eyes but it didn't seem to work. Instead, I changed the topic. "So your arm's okay?"
"Yeah, it looks worse than it is." Then it must hurt like hell.
I picked up her cast and examined the stickers and writing that already graced it. "I like this Emily chick. Friend of yours?"
"She's a friend to all of us dispossessed." Uh, sure.
"So here's our lunch place." I stopped where the line ended and pulled my wallet out of my back pocket before she got a chance to say she'd pay. I knew Rory a little too well.
"A hot dog stand?" Uh oh, not good?
"Hey, I eat here everyday. It's nothing fancy, but-"
"No, I love it. It's perfect."
"Good." I got to the front of the line and said my order first, giving her a little more time to decide. "One with everything on it."
"Make that two, please." I liked the sound of that. Two, please.
"So, uh. . .how's-" This was not going to be a fun topic.
She's read my mind without me telling her. "Luke?"
"Yeah." I shrug to let her think that it's no big deal that I know about him. Like I don't care when really I do.
"Okay. He went fishing." Ha!
"Fishing?" That I had to see.
"Yeah. He didn't catch anything though."
"Probably used the wrong bait."
"Yeah, that's a common fishing blunder."
"So he's good?"
Rory smiled sweetly at me, understanding without letting it on. "Yeah, he's good. I can tell him hello for you if you want."
"Whatever." I shrugged again and took my hot dog from the vendor. She did too and she thanked him before we set off across the street.
"Oh, my God, this is really good!"
"I'm glad you like it." I smiled genuinely for the first time in a while and watched her as she got mustard on her upper lip. "So how much time you got?"
"I got a bit." I figured this would be the last time in a while that I would see Rory so I wanted to make it a memorable day. Even if I only had a bit with her, it would be our bit.
"There's a record store you should check out. It's run by this insane freak who's like a walking encyclopedia for every punk and garage-band record ever made. Catalog numbers. . .it's crazy. The place is right out of High Fidelity."
"Let's go." She seemed excited about it and she started off down the street with more spring in her step.
"Okay." I started off down a set of stairs, thinking she would voluntarily follow me. Instead, she looked nervous and stayed rooted to the sidewalk.
"Where you going?"
I pointed down the flight of steps to where it ended. "Subway." I said this simply to make it seem like it was no big deal, but she still seemed worried.
"I thought we were gonna walk."
"It's fifteen blocks. Come on, I think you'll like it."
"Do they allow hot dogs in the subway?" It was an honest question, I'll give her that, but that still didn't make it seem completely outrageous.
"You are so an out-of-towner." I smiled at her and she tentatively followed me down the stairs.
All of my flashbacks of the times we'd spent together over the past few months didn't compare to the day we had. It was the best day I'd had since I'd left. Hopefully I wouldn't screw it up.
(A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! I was going over some of my old unfinished stories and I saw this one. I liked what I had going so I cranked out another chapter. This one wasn't like the rest though because it was present tense. Next chapter will have flashbacks though. Thanks again for reading and please read and review! ~Amanda)